Surgical retrieval assembly and associated method

Claim 1

A surgical instrument assembly for use in snare cauterization operations, comprising: a tubular member, said tubular member having a diameter sufficiently small so that said tubular member can be inserted through a biopsy channel of a flexible endoscope; a cauterization loop; an electrically conductive wire operatively connected to said cauterization loop, said cauterization loop and said wire being disposed at least partially in said tubular member; electrical means operatively connected to said wire for feeding an electrical current to said cauterization loop via said wire; an auxiliary loop; an elongate flexible shifting member connected at one end to said auxiliary loop, said auxiliary loop and said shifting member being at least partially disposed in said tubular member; a flexible web member connected to said auxiliary loop so as to form a capture pocket, said auxiliary loop defining a mouth opening of said pocket; an elongate flexible tube provided at a distal end with a needle point and an aperture, said flexible tube being disposed at least partially in said tubular member; and fluid feed means operatively connected to said flexible tube for feeding fluid thereto for ejection through said aperture.

Claim 16

A method for removing a selected portion of internal body tissues of a patient, comprising the steps of: providing (I) a flexible conductive cauterization loop, (ii) a flexible tube provided at a distal end with a needle point and an aperture, and (iii) a flexible auxiliary loop to which a flexible web member is connected to define an expandable pocket, said cauterization loop, said flexible tube and said auxiliary loop being disposed in a common tubular member, said common tubular member in turn being disposed in a biopsy channel of an endoscope; inserting said endoscope into a patient; using said endoscope to visually monitor internal body tissues of the patient after insertion of said endoscope into the patient; upon detecting selected internal tissues to be removed from the patient, shifting said flexible tube in the distal direction to eject said needle point from said tubular member; inserting said needle point and said aperture into the selected internal tissues of the patient, the selected internal tissues being disposed along an internal organic wall of the patient; forcing liquid through said flexible tube and said aperture into the selected internal tissues of the patient to expand the tissues and thereby induce the tissues to stand away from said internal organic wall; shifting said cauterization loop in a distal direction relative to said tubular member to eject said cauterization loop from said tubular member; upon ejection of said cauterization loop from said tubular member, at least partially expanding said cauterization loop from a collapsed configuration; manipulating the expanded cauterization loop from outside of the patient to pass the expanded cauterization loop over the expanded internal tissues of the patient; upon a passing of the expanded cauterization loop over the expanded internal tissues, closing the cauterization loop about the expanded internal tissues; conducting an electrical current along said wire and to the closed cauterization loop to sever the expanded internal tissues; ejecting said auxiliary loop from said tubular member; upon ejection of said auxiliary loop from said tubular member, at least partially opening said auxiliary loop from a folded configuration; maneuvering the opened auxiliary loop from outside of the patient to pass the opened auxiliary loop over the expanded internal tissues so that said web member substantially surrounds the expanded internal tissues; and upon the severing of the expanded internal tissues by said cauterization loop and upon maneuvering of the auxiliary loop over the expanded internal tissues, at least partially closing said auxiliary loop to capture the severed internal body tissues in said pocket.

Claim 17

A method for removing a selected portion of internal body tissues of a patient, comprising the steps of: providing (I) a flexible conductive cauterization loop, (ii) a flexible tube provided at a distal end with a needle point and an aperture, and (iii) a flexible auxiliary loop to which a flexible web member is connected to define an expandable pocket, said cauterization loop, said flexible tube and said auxiliary loop being disposed in a common tubular member, said common tubular member in turn being disposed in a biopsy channel of an endoscope; inserting said endoscope into a patient; using said endoscope to visually monitor internal body tissues of the patient after insertion of said endoscope into the patient; upon detecting selected internal tissues to be removed from the patient, shifting said flexible tube in the distal direction to eject said needle point from said tubular member; inserting said needle point and said aperture into the selected internal tissues of the patient, the selected internal tissues being disposed along an internal organic wall of the patient; forcing liquid through said flexible tube and said aperture into the selected internal tissues of the patient to expand the tissues and thereby induce the tissues to stand away from said internal organic wall; shifting said cauterization loop in a distal direction relative to said tubular member to eject said cauterization loop from said tubular member; upon ejection of said cauterization loop from said tubular member, at least partially expanding said cauterization loop from a collapsed configuration; manipulating the expanded cauterization loop from outside of the patient to pass the expanded cauterization loop over the expanded internal tissues of the patient; upon a passing of the expanded cauterization loop over the expanded internal tissues, closing the cauterization loop about the expanded internal tissues; conducting an electrical current along said wire and to the closed cauterization loop to sever the expanded internal tissues; ejecting said auxiliary loop from said tubular member; upon ejection of said auxiliary loop from said tubular member, at least partially opening said auxiliary loop from a folded configuration; maneuvering the opened auxiliary loop from outside of the patient to pass the opened auxiliary loop over the expanded internal tissues so that said web member substantially surrounds the expanded internal tissues; and upon the severing of the expanded internal tissues by said cauterization loop and upon maneuvering of the auxiliary loop over the expanded internal tissues, at least partially closing said auxiliary loop to capture the severed internal body tissues in said pocket.

Claim 21

A method for removing a selected portion of internal body tissues of a patient, comprising the steps of: providing (i) a flexible conductive cauterization loop to which a flexible web member is connected to define an expandable pocket, and (ii) a flexible tube provided at a distal end with a needle point and an aperture, said cauterization loop, said flexible tube and said web member being disposed in a common tubular member, said common tubular member in turn being disposed in a biopsy channel of an endoscope; inserting said endoscope into a patient; using said endoscope to visually monitor internal body tissues of the patient after insertion of said endoscope into the patient; upon detecting selected internal tissues to be removed from the patient, shifting said flexible tube in the distal direction to eject said needle point from said tubular member; inserting said needle point and said aperture into the selected internal tissues of the patient, the selected internal tissues being disposed along an internal organic wall of the patient; forcing liquid through said flexible tube and said aperture into the selected internal tissues of the patient to expand the tissues and thereby induce the tissues to stand away from said internal organic wall; shifting said cauterization loop in a distal direction relative to said tubular member to eject said cauterization loop from said tubular member; upon ejection of said cauterization loop from said tubular member, at least partially expanding said cauterization loop and said web member from a collapsed configuration; manipulating the expanded cauterization loop from outside of the patient to pass the expanded cauterization loop and the expanded web member over the expanded internal tissues of the patient; upon a passing of the expanded cauterization loop and the expanded web member over the expanded internal tissues, closing the cauterization loop about the expanded internal tissues; and conducting an electrical current along said wire and to the closed cauterization loop to sever the expanded internal tissues.

Claim 22

A method for removing a selected portion of internal body tissues of a patient, comprising the steps of: providing (i) a flexible conductive cauterization loop to which a flexible web member is connected to define an expandable pocket, and (ii) a flexible tube provided at a distal end with a needle point and an aperture, said cauterization loop, said flexible tube and said web member being disposed in a common tubular member, said common tubular member in turn being disposed in a biopsy channel of an endoscope; inserting said endoscope into a patient; using said endoscope to visually monitor internal body tissues of the patient after insertion of said endoscope into the patient; upon detecting selected internal tissues to be removed from the patient, shifting said flexible tube in the distal direction to eject said needle point from said tubular member; inserting said needle point and said aperture into the selected internal tissues of the patient, the selected internal tissues being disposed along an internal organic wall of the patient; forcing liquid through said flexible tube and said aperture into the selected internal tissues of the patient to expand the tissues and thereby induce the tissues to stand away from said internal organic wall; shifting said cauterization loop in a distal direction relative to said tubular member to eject said cauterization loop from said tubular member; upon ejection of said cauterization loop from said tubular member, at least partially expanding said cauterization loop and said web member from a collapsed configuration; manipulating the expanded cauterization loop from outside of the patient to pass the expanded cauterization loop and the expanded web member over the expanded internal tissues of the patient; upon a passing of the expanded cauterization loop and the expanded web member over the expanded internal tissues, closing the cauterization loop about the expanded internal tissues; and conducting an electrical current along said wire and to the closed cauterization loop to sever the expanded internal tissues.